The invention relates to a chopping aid device for use in chopping of firewood, the chopping aid device comprising a frame to prevent pieces of wood to spread into the surroundings outside the chopping aid device during chopping.
Such a chopping aid device is known from patent publication EP 1886779 B1. This known device in the form of a basket-like closed ring frame is designed to be mounted onto a chopping block and designed to prevent chopped wood to fall to the ground from the chopping block. By having this function, the chopping aid device provides at the same time for the user, and for people nearby the chopping aid device, safety in that chopped wood does not fly and hit the user or the people nearby. However, if the basket-like frame is not filled enough with chopping woods, the risk remains that the chopped wood flies over the ring frame. Further, the logs will easily turn to a position not being upright as a result of an incorrect hit with the axe. Still further, there is a risk of the axe bouncing pass the chopping block and hitting on the ground or on the knee/leg/foot of the person who is chopping.
Woods to be chopped shall be placed upright on the chopping block. This is not always easy. Especially if the wood to be chopped has a cut surface which is at an oblique angle in relation to the longitudinal axis of the wood to be chopped, the wood cannot be placed on the chopping block so that it remains upright without support. This problem, also present with the known chopping aid device of EP 1886779 B1, can be—provided the chopping block has an even planar upper surface and is not worn—solved by cutting off the inclined surface from the wood to be chopped and replacing the inclined surface with a surface which is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the wood to be chopped. Such a procedure is, however, time consuming and creates wood debris. Neither does it give the desired result if the chopping block has worn so that the upper surface thereof shows a concave form. Sometimes the problem with an oblique support area is solved by keeping the wood by hand in upright position and taking quickly the hand off the wood before hitting the wood with the axe. The wood must be hit immediately after the hand has been taken off the wood, because otherwise the wood turns horizontal making the chopping impossible. Such chopping is dangerous, difficult and time consuming. If the hand is not taken off the wood, there is an imminent possibility for injury. If the wood to be chopped is not split with one hit and the ring frame has not been fully filled with woods to be chopped, the wood will typically move within the ring frame in such a position that one must correct its position to enable a successful next hit with the axe. This is time consuming.